The embodiments herein relate generally to workout and exercise devices. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to an athletic training apparatus configured to help users to stretch their hamstring muscles.
The majority of people will experience back pain in their lifetime. Tight hamstrings are widely regarded a risk factor for low back injury. Most people fail to improve their flexibility because they are not relaxed when stretching or do not hold their stretch long enough. This leads to poor stretching compliance. Performing a safe, comfortable and effective hamstring stretch can be challenging for many individuals. For example, certain large or muscular individuals with tight muscles have a difficult time stretching their hamstrings, even with the help of clinicians or support staff. Flexible individuals such as dancers, gymnasts, martial artists and other athletes are often too flexible in certain body areas, which makes it difficult for them to focus a stretch on the hamstring alone. As such, many individuals can benefit from the use of a hamstring stretching tool.
A wide variety of exercise and stretching devices exist to stretch the user's muscles such as yoga straps and devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,067,709, 5,634,873, 5,984,845, 6,203,473, 6,338,700, 6,368,255, 6,634,995, 7,223,212, 7,309,305, 7,476,182, 7,946,971, 8,025,617 and 8,092,354, and U.S. Patent Application Publications 2007/0070817, 2007/0161480, 2012/0040808, 2014/0018216 and 2015/0148199. Other stretching devices on the market exist such as Technogym's FLEXABILITY Posterior device and Medi-dyne's CoreStretch device.
However, these devices have limitations and/or are not practical for use by everyone. Specifically, yoga straps and other similar devices used to assist a person in stretching his/her hamstrings are not well adapted for use with individuals with very tight muscles. Further these straps do not provide enough mechanical advantage to reduce user effort during the stretch. If a person with inflexible hamstrings uses a strap to stretch his/her hamstrings, the pull of the strap is not oriented in a direction to maximize its effect. This makes for an inefficient stretch, less relaxation, more effort, and therefore worse stretching and compliance.
Other exercise and stretching devices are limited because (1) the devices require the use of complicated and/or bulky components; (2) the device requires the attachment of certain components such as a pulley to a wall, door or other flat surface, thereby limiting the number of locations available to use the device; and/or (3) the device does not provide a counterforce at the user's hip region during the stretch to maintain a neutral spine and prevent posterior pelvic tilt. The use of these exercise and stretching devices may also be problematic due to one or more of the following: (1) the device stretches both hamstrings at the same time, which can cause back pain as the pelvis tilts posteriorly and the lower back stretches into flexion; (2) the device forces knee extension, which may exacerbate sciatic nerve irritation; (3) the device forces ankle dorsiflexion, which may exacerbate sciatic nerve irritation; and/or (4) the device does not provide sufficient leverage, which may cause arm or neck strain due to excessive effort.
As such, there is a need in the industry for an athletic training apparatus that helps users to stretch their hamstring muscles, which overcomes the limitations of the prior art. In particular, there is a need for the athletic training apparatus to have the following characteristics and advantages: (1) simple to use; (2) affordable; (3) portable; (4) hand-held; (5) requires no fixation on a table, surface, door or wall; (6) provides a counter force at the user's hip region; (7) provides excellent mechanical advantage to allow for a comfortable and sustained stretch; (8) facilitates a unilateral stretch that minimizes strain to the lower back; (9) allows the knee to be flexed during the stretch if needed to protect a tight sciatic nerve; (10) allows the foot to be plantar flexed to protect a tight sciatic nerve; and (11) provides adjustability to accommodate different-sized individuals.